"You're definitely memorable," Lee Sik said, his face red from chuckling too much.
Amira nodded in agreement. She then nudged June's shoulder.
"What do you think she's going to sing?" she asked. "Her clothes don't give anything away. She's just wearing a plain shirt."
"We can't even see her anticipated rank," Ji-hyun said, realizing that they didn't ask her to reveal it. They were so engrossed in her blunt personality that they forgot to formally ask her.
"That just makes me more curious," Bone said. "Usually, people who dress more simply are more talented, right?"
Meanwhile, June remained silent throughout their conversation. He held himself back from saying anything.
"Anyway," Lee Sik said, clapping to end their conversation. "We can't wait for you to show us your talents. Please take the stage."
Mei nodded. However, she didn't move from her spot and just placed the microphone over her lips.
"She really reminds me of someone," Gun muttered as she continued looking at Mei.
"Me too," Ji-hyun said, placing her hand under her chin.
Mei closed her eyes for a moment, the camera focusing on her and flashing her on the widescreen.
The others exclaimed in amazement once her face was illuminated on the screen.
"She's really pretty. I can't deny it."
"That's true. It sucks! I could have been recruited by Azure, too, if I was born prettier."
Even Jeemin pursed her lips, finding the simple girl beautiful.
"She's still weird, though," she muttered.
Meanwhile, June still couldn't believe that her sister grew up this way. Between the two of them, Mei Ling was definitely born prettier. However, it wasn't to this extent!
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})The world definitely had their favorites!
They all anticipated her performance. They couldn't help but wonder how the very first Azure trainee would perform.
As Mei Ling finally opened her eyes, the room fell silent, all eyes fixed on her.
To everyone's surprise, a mellow song suddenly played through the speakers—a choice that raised eyebrows among the other trainees. A ballad? In the midst of a high-energy audition? It was unexpected, to say the least.
She was the very first one to sing a ballad out of everyone.
Moreover, the song she chose was the original soundtrack for a tragic love story—a story that ended in death and despair. It was a strange choice, one that left the other trainees puzzled. Why would she choose such a heartbreaking song?
June, however, instantly recognized the melody. It was from her favorite drama when they were younger—a drama that Mei Ling used to watch with him. He remembered how she would blast the song over and over again when they lived together, her voice echoing through the house as she sang along.
To some extent, June could still predict Mei Ling's choices. She had always been loyal to her favorites, and it seemed that some things never changed. But as he waited for her to sing, a sense of unease crept over him.
"I shouldn't have promised anything to the other mentors," he muttered.
He closed his eyes and started chanting a prayer under his breath, causing Amira to glance at him with furrowed eyebrows.
Alright, there was definitely something wrong with him.
Then, June opened his eyes, waiting for Mei Ling to sing the first lines.
After an entire year apart, Mei Ling must have changed in other aspects, too...right?
As Mei opened her mouth to sing, June held his breath, his heart pounding in nervousness.
He wasn't even this nervous when he was auditioning last year!
He hoped against hope that Mei Ling had grown and improved in the year they had been apart. But as the first notes of the song filled the room, June's hopes were dashed.
"In the quiet of the night,
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})I still hear your voice,
Echoing through the empty space."
If June had been blessed with a good voice, then Mei Ling definitely wasn't. He guessed that the world was still fair after all. She got the good looks while he got the good voice.
Her voice was shaky and off-key, her pitch wavering as she struggled to hit the right notes. She sang with passion and emotion, but it was clear that she was clumsy as heck.
"Oh goodness," June muttered, looking at the table.
The mentors frowned in confusion.
"Is she...singing?" Ji-hyun couldn't help but ask.
"I'll love you for eternity,
Though you're no longer here with me,
And though we were apart too soon,
I'll see you again under the moon."
The other trainees were also shocked; most of them just watching the stage with agape mouths.
June's heart sank as he watched his sister's performance. He had hoped that she had improved, but it seemed that she was still the same Mei Ling he remembered. She had always been enthusiastic about singing, but talent was another matter altogether.
As Mei Ling continued to sing, her voice growing increasingly strained. June couldn't help but purse his lips.
Why don't they end the shoot right now, huh? Should he pretend to faint so that she stops singing? Well, he did feel relatively dizzy today.
Jeemin couldn't help but chuckle. However, she covered her mouth with her hand so that it wouldn't be captured by the camera.
"All of that big talk for this?" she muttered.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})As she reached the chorus, she began to dance.
'Right!' June exclaimed in his thoughts. 'Mei Ling wasn't that bad of a dancer, right?'
Turns out, June was wrong.
She was also very clumsy at dancing. The routine was simple, so she stayed on beat, at least. However, he could tell that she wasn't born a great dancer.
Well, to be fair, June was also awful at dancing when he first entered the show, so he couldn't criticize her too much.
However, even then, she should have at least one redeeming aspect!
'Maybe she's better at rapping?' he thought.
Then, he sighed before shaking his head.
"Definitely not," he whispered, remembering how she rapped when they were younger.
He was just in denial since he wanted the best for his sister, but as he gazed at her status window, he couldn't help but purse his lips.
[Vocals: D-
Dance: D
Rap: F
Visuals: S]
Well, at least she was already an S in visuals.
However, that doesn't really make up for the fact that she was a dozen!
Her stats were even worse than when June was starting out!
He could already see the hate comments floating above her head as she continued her performance.
"Oh, Mei Ling," he whispered.
"What are you really doing here?"
